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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26895064">World’s Truth</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMasterApprentice27/pseuds/TheMasterApprentice27'>TheMasterApprentice27</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Persona 5, Persona Series</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>But not my first time writing, Comments would be appreciated, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, If I can figure out how tagging works, It’s my first time writing a fanfic, Persona 5 Spoilers, Persona 5: The Royal Spoilers, shusumi, sumiren, will add more tags as they become relevant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:18:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,582</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26895064</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMasterApprentice27/pseuds/TheMasterApprentice27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ren Amamiya meets Kasumi Yoshizawa on the first day of school, where she quickly finds herself in the world of the Metaverse and Personas. Being shown firsthand just how horrible a person can be, and how one's heart can be changed, she finds herself wrapped up in the mission of the Phantom Thieves: to change the hearts of those with distorted desires.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Amamiya Ren &amp; Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira &amp; Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi, Kurusu Akira/Yoshizawa Sumire | Yoshizawa Kasumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Shibuya, Shifty Adults, and a Bad Situation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>So, full disclosure. As the I mentioned in the tags, this is my first time writing a fanfic. Or at least, this is the first time I’ve actually gotten to finishing a chapter and publishing it. That’s not to say I’m completely inexperienced with this style of writing, as I’ve done text-based roleplaying for around six years, if that counts for anything. Still, I wrote this as an attempt to test my writing capabilities, and I have recently been inspired by a number of SumiRen fics I’ve read here recently, so thus this idea was born. This chapter is largely the same as what happens in-game, with the exception of my additions of Ren’s thoughts and dialogue, though the end is where things start becoming different. I will say that I will be using the in-game dialogue a lot, so I ask that you please bear with me. That said, I would love to hear feedback, as this is also an attempt to improve my writing abilities. Now then, with that said, let us start the game.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Saturday, April 9th, 2016 - Daytime</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “Damn brat, I’ll sue!” </em>
</p><p>Those words had haunted Ren Amamiya’s mind like a plague for the last month and a half since he’d heard them. They weren’t the only such words that had haunted him, but they certainly topped the list, followed only by the judge that had condemned him to a year of probation, and his parents telling him he would be living in Tokyo for his probation. </p><p>He heaved a sigh as he exited the train station and emerged at the corner of the crowded intersection.’<em> At least the people here just ignore me, rather than looking at me like I’m some kind of rabid animal </em>’, he thought. It was a small mercy, really, and only a minor improvement. </p><p>His phone beeped, drawing his attention down to the navigation app he was using as an icon of a red eye suddenly dominated a portion of his screen. </p><p>“The hell…?” Ren muttered to himself, tapping at the icon a couple times, then swiping in an attempt to dismiss it. </p><p>And then time stopped. </p><p>The world around him slowed to a crawl, before freezing entirely in place. </p><p>“What the-?! What’s going on?!” He questioned the frozen air, wildly scanning his surroundings as panic began to set in. Only the deafening silence beyond his panicked breathing answered him. </p><p>Then, a new sound broke the silence. The building crackle and roar of flames. Whirling to face the source of the sound, a pillar of blue flame greeted him from across the intersection. It grew, gained definition, and took on an almost demonic shape with wings, long, slender fingers, and something like a set of horns. Finally, orange flames formed on the thing’s “face”, forming a manic grin and a pair of eyes, staring straight at Ren. </p><p>Confronted with such an entity, Ren backed up rapidly in an attempt to get away from it, and— he blinked, and nearly toppled over as he backed straight into a passerby, the air filled with the cacophony of the numerous people crossing the intersection once more. </p><p>“Watch where you’re going, brat.”, the man grumbled with a glare as he straightened himself and continued on his way. </p><p>“Sorry…” Mumbling an apology, Ren steadied himself, looking around once more to confirm that the being of flames was gone and time had resumed. To his relief, that was the case, and he sighed. </p><p>“Was that… a dream, or was that real..?” Mutterings his thoughts aloud, Ren looked again to his phone to see the strange app icon still present. Fingers moving swiftly, he dragged the app to the bin icon and deposited it, deleting it. ‘<em> Whatever that was, I do not want to go through it again </em>’. </p><p>Deciding it best not to tarry any longer, he took a deep breath to fully compose himself, he strode out into the crossing and continued on his way to Yongen-Jaya, where his temporary guardian supposedly was. </p><p>
  <br/>
  <strong>Saturday, April 9th, 2016 - Daytime</strong>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>The journey to Yongen-Jaya had taken longer than he’d expected, coming close to about an hour of walking after leaving the station. And throughout that whole time, he still couldn’t get his mind off that vision he’d experienced. He had never experienced a hallucination before, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t help wondering what it meant. </p><p>His musings came to a halt when he finally reached his destination: a small café a short distance from the house of one Sojiro Sakura, his guardian for the year. The sign by the door read “Coffee and Curry”, and below that “Leblanc”. </p><p>“Guess this is it…” he mutters, pushing through the door, the bell overhead ringing faintly to announce his arrival. </p><p>The first thing he heard upon entering was the news, talking about some form of psychotic breakdown, involving a vehicle crashing through a storefront. Following that, his eyes settled on the only person in the place, an old man, focused on a crossword puzzle. </p><p>Said man looked up, and straightened at the sound of the bell, expecting a customer, but seemed to slump slightly when he realized who it was that had walked in. Before Ren could say anything, the old man spoke up. </p><p>“Oh, right. They did say that was today.” He set the newspaper on the table, muttering something about four hours and a cup of joe as he stood, facing the young man. “So, you’re Ren, huh?”</p><p>“Yes”, he nods. “You’re Sakura-San, right? Please take care of me.” He says, adopting a polite tone.</p><p>“...Uh-huh.” The man grunts, likely in confirmation, then continues. “I’m Sojiro Sakura. You’ll be in my custody over the next year. I was wondering what kind of unruly kid would show up, but you’re the one, huh?”</p><p>Ren didn’t respond, both because he didn’t know what to say, and because he knew the question was rhetorical. Thankfully, Sojiro carried on before the silence carried beyond a brief pause. </p><p>“Have you been told? A customer of mine and your parents know each other, and-“, he cuts himself off, as though reconsidering the idea of continuing along that path. “Well, not that that matters… follow me.” </p><p>And with that, Sojiro turned and.. started walking up the stairs to the attic?</p><p>‘<em> Wouldn’t this normally be where he shows me where I’ll be staying? </em>’, thought Ren, even as he followed the man regardless. </p><p>To describe the attics the stairs had led to as “messy” would be an understatement. </p><p>It looked as though nobody had ever bothered to so much as dust the place in years, and the place was cluttered with bags of unknown items, a ladder, and several plastic jerry cans that all looked as though they hadn’t been touched at least as long as the dust had been there. </p><p>In fact, only three things looked new: the cardboard box in the middle of the room that Ren noticed was the one that had contained clothes and such sent from back home, a futon with a blanket and pillow that had been placed on a couple boxes, and a potted plant amongst the assorted rubbish. </p><p>“This, is your room.” Sojiro said matter-of-factly. </p><p>‘<em> He’s joking. This must be a joke. </em>’ Thought Ren</p><p>Sojiro Sakura was not joking. He turned to Ren and helpfully added “I’ll at least give you sheets for your bed.” His brow furrowed slightly as he caught a glimpse of Ren’s expression before he had brought it back to neutrality. “You look like you wanna say somethin’.”</p><p>Thinking quickly, Ren thought up something he could say, not wanting to be impolite to the man who’d be taking care of him for the next year. “It’s… much bigger than I had expected.” It wasn’t an outright lie, just not what he’d really wanted to say. </p><p>Sojiro didn’t look convinced, but decided not to push further. “Mm. Anyway, it’ll be on you to clean this place up. I’ll be leaving after I lock up each day. You’ll be alone at night, but don’t do anything stupid. I’ll throw you out if you cause any trouble.”</p><p>“I understand, sir. I won’t cause any trouble.” Ren nodded with a serious expression. After all, he liked having a place to stay. And, y’know, not going to jail. </p><p>“You’d better not.” The old man added for emphasis, then seemed to relax a little now that the formalities and mandatory explanations were out of the way. “Now then… I got the gist of your situation.” </p><p>‘<em> Here we go, let’s run through this one more time </em>’, Ren thought dryly, but refrained from speaking. </p><p>“You protected some woman from a man forcing himself on her, he got injured, then sued you. Right?”</p><p>A nod was Ren’s answer. That summed it up pretty well.</p><p>“That’s what you get for sticking your nose in a matter between two adults. You did injure him, yeah?”</p><p>A surge of anger coursed through him at Sojiro’s comment. What was he supposed to do, just sit there and watch?!</p><p>“I didn’t injure him, he fell on his own!” He fired back instead, knowing that debating what he should have done wouldn’t get him anywhere. </p><p>“Look, I don’t care.” Sojiro shut him down immediately. “Even if that’s true, that’s not how the court sees it, and it’s not how anyone else will see it either.” He huffed. “The point is, you’re here because your previous school expelled you because of your record, and the court ordered you to move out here and transfer schools, which your parents approved of. Sounds like they got rid of you for being a pain in the ass.”</p><p>That caused Ren’s expression to darken, and he couldn’t quite meet the older man’s eyes as he recalled what his parents had told him before he had left. Sojiro didn’t notice, and carried on. </p><p>“Behave yourself for the year. If nothing happens, your probation will be lifted. If you cause problems, you’ll be sent straight to juvie.” </p><p>“I understand, sir.” Ren replied flatly. </p><p>“Good. We’ll be going to Shujin tomorrow. We’ll introduce ourselves to the staff there. There’s rarely a place that will accept someone like you, you know.” Sojiro heaved a sigh. “What a waste of my Sunday.” </p><p>His speech apparently done, Sojiro moved past Ren to the stairs, then stopped. </p><p>“Your luggage arrived a little while ago. I brought it up here for you.” And with that last comment, he walked down the stairs and out of sight, leaving Ren alone in the attic with the mess and musty air. </p><p>After taking it all in for a moment, Ren let out a heavy sigh. “Well, if this is where I’m staying, I might as well take care of it.” A pause as he looked down at his clothes. “Maybe after I change out of my uniform though.” </p><p>Opening the box that had been left on the floor, Ren got changed into more casual clothes before getting to work on cleaning up the place. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Saturday, April 9th, 2016 - Evening</b>
</p><p> </p><p>After several hours of work dusting, mopping, and moving junk around, Ren wiped some sweat from his brow and surveyed his work. </p><p>It was… still a complete mess, really, but it was at least serviceable. At the very least, the floor and walls were not coated in three inches of dust, his luggage had been put into a spare space on one of the shelves, and all the junk was in one place. </p><p>“Well.. it’s nothing close to what I want, and there’s still dust everywhere, but hey, baby steps. I have a year.” He says, trying - and failing - to keep his spirits up even a little. Any further musings were cut off as a voice spoke up from behind him. </p><p>“What the heck? I heard you making all sorts of noise up here, but I didn’t know you were cleaning.”</p><p>Ren turned to face Sojiro and nodded. </p><p>“Yeah. I am going to be living here after all. It wouldn’t be right to not take care of the place. It still needs some work though.”</p><p>Sojiro hummed. Ren wasn’t quite sure, but he thought he heard a bit of approval in the sound. </p><p>Placing a hand on his hip and stroking his beard with the other, the old man nodded after some consideration. </p><p>“Actually, the place doesn’t look too bad. But I suppose it’s only natural you’d want to take care of your room.” A shrug accompanied the statement. “Why don’t you go to bed for tonight? You don’t have anything better to be doing, right? I’m going to close up shop and get out of here myself.” </p><p>Sojiro again turned and walked to the top of the stairs. “I won’t be the one looking after you if you get sick from staying up too late, you got that?” His warning given, the old man walked back down the stairs. The sound of the door opening, closing, and locking followed shortly after. </p><p>After a moment of thought, Ren shrugged to the empty room. </p><p>“Might as well, I suppose.” </p><p>Getting changed into his sleep attire and turning the lights off, Ren laid down on his bed with a much more weary sigh. </p><p>“A whole year, huh…” he muttered, gazing at the small band of night sky visible from the window by his bed. Hopefully, he told himself. Hopefully, he could get through this year without any trouble. Then, he could return to his ordinary life and not have to worry about the word “probation” hanging over his head. </p><p>Somehow, his thoughts shifted, returning to the hallucination he’d had earlier, forgotten momentarily in the midst of his other troubles. </p><p>‘<em> What was that thing I saw? Was that really a hallucination? It felt so… so, real…’ </em> His brow furrowed as he struggled to recall what he had seen. Now that he thought about it, was that thing really so bad? Without the panic clawing at him, the thought of that entity actually seemed… calming? Hmm. Now that was odd. ‘ <em> I should really get some rest. Unless that happens again, thinking about it will get me nowhere. </em>’</p><p>Almost immediately after finishing that thought, a notification sounded from his phone. With a frown, he drew his phone and checked, wondering who would be messaging him. </p><p>What greeted him was the sight of the red eye icon of the strange app. Ren’s frown became a minor scowl. </p><p>“The hell? I thought I deleted that.” Holding his finger over the icon, he dragged it to the trash bin icon and deposited it in, deleting the app. That done, he finally settled in, closing his eyes as sleep took him. </p><p>When his consciousness returned, he knew something was wrong. First was the feel of things. The bed he had slept on was hard, but not rock solid like this one, and his clothes weren’t so… worn feeling last he’d checked. </p><p>And then the sound of a piano reached him, with a woman’s voice joining in with singing shortly after, letting him know that something truly was wrong. Even still, there was something oddly calming about the music. </p><p>Opening his eyes, he found himself surrounded by blue walls, and he recognized that rattling of chains and the occasional drip-drop of water. Glancing to his right, he identified the latter sound as water dripping into a toilet opposite the bed he was on.</p><p>“What the…—?!” Pushing himself into a sitting position, Ren looked down and saw that he was wearing striped prisoner’s attire, and a set of manacles connected by chains bound his wrists. </p><p>A girlish chuckle drew his attention to the only source of light, which came through the bars of the prison cell door. </p><p>He could only stare as two very young-looking girls stepped into view on either side of his cage. Clad in blue prison warden outfits with mirrored eyepatches, each bearing a stylized gold “V” upon them, their pale hair and yellow eyes made them look like twins. The only things that distinguished them was their hairstyles and what they carried; the left one had her hair braided, and carried some kind of clipboard, while the right one had her hair in a bun and carried a baton. </p><p>Ren’s confusion was practically palpable as he stood up. “What-? Hey, who are-?!” He stopped as he became aware his left foot also had a manacle on it, chained to a large iron ball. </p><p>A faint frown spreads across his face as he notes this, then approaches the cell door, grabbing the bars. “What the hell’s going on here?!” He asks, fear worming its way through his chest. </p><p>Wordlessly, the twins did an about face and stepped aside. What they revealed made Ren do a double take. </p><p>It was a prison. Large and circular, with a rug in the middle that was blue and marked with the same gold stylized “V” on the twins’ eyepatches. </p><p>In the center of that rug was a warden’s desk, and a man sat at it. Well, perhaps “man” wasn’t quite accurate. With the pointed ears and ludicrously long nose, one might have said he was a goblin if not for the suit he wore, the pale skin, and white hair. An unnaturally wide smile was spread across the thing’s face, and its eyes were also unnaturally large. </p><p>The Nose spoke, his grin spreading further as he unclasped his gloved hands and extended one towards Ren. </p><p>“<b>Trickster… welcome to my Velvet Room</b>.”</p><p>Silence reigned briefly, and only one thought prevailed in Ren’s mind: ‘<em> ...what? </em>’</p><p>Before he could vocalize that thought, a girlish voice cut through the silence. </p><p>“So you’ve come to, Inmate.” The twin on his right spoke up. </p><p>“The “you” in reality is currently fast asleep. You are only experiencing this as a dream.” The one on the left continued. </p><p>The Nose spoke again though, ignoring the twins for the moment.</p><p>“<b>Welcome, I am delighted to make your acquaintance. This is a place between dream and reality, mind and matter. It is a room only those bound by a “contract” may enter. I am Igor, the master of this place. Remember it well. I summoned you to speak of important matters. It involves your life as well</b>.”</p><p>“Important matters? my life? What are you talking about?!” He demands, rattling the bars of his cage. </p><p>“<b>Still, this is a surprise…</b> ” Igor continued, as though he hadn’t heard the questions at all. “ <b>The state of this room reflects the state of your own heart. To think a prison would appear as such. You truly are a “prisoner” of fate. In the near future, there is no mistake that ruin awaits you</b>.”</p><p>“Ruin?! Are you kidding me?!” He felt a surge of terror at the word “ruin”, though he wasn’t sure why. Still, a surge of anger was slowly bubbling up within him. </p><p>“<b>Haha, worry not, there is a means to oppose such a fate. You must be “rehabilitated”. Rehabilitated towards freedom. That is your only means to avoid ruin… do you have the resolve to challenge the distortion of the world?</b>”</p><p>Despite the growing absurdity of the situation, he found he had an answer quite quickly. “Yes, I do. I want to avoid this “ruin” you keep talking about.”</p><p>Igor seemed to smile at that. “<b>Good. Then allow me to witness the path of your rehabilitation.</b>”</p><p>As if on cue, the twins stepped back in front of the cell and spun around to face Ren. </p><p>“<b>Ah, pardon me for not introducing the others.</b> ” Igor said. “ <b>To your right is Caroline; to your left, Justine. They serve as wardens here.</b>”</p><p>“Hmph. Try and struggle as hard as you like.” Caroline said haughtily. </p><p>“The duty of wardens is to protect inmates. We are also your collaborators… that is, if you remain obedient.” Justine added in a monotone voice. </p><p>“<b>I will explain the role of these two at another time</b> .” Continued Igor, drumming his fingers on the desk as he crossed his legs, resting his chin on his left hand. “ <b>Now then, it seems the night is waning… it is almost time. I’m sure you have many questions. Worry not, they shall be answered in due time. For now, take your time to slowly come to understand this place. We will surely meet again, eventually…</b>” with a slight flick of the fingers of his left hand, an alarm suddenly began ringing. </p><p>“Time’s up!” Caroline said before Ren could try to press for more answers from Igor. “Now hurry up and go back to sleep.”</p><p>“Wha-?” He didn’t even get to finish his question as his eyelids suddenly felt like lead weights, rapidly drawing down as he succumbed to sleep yet again </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sunday, April 10th, 2016 - Morning</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Ren awoke with a start, gasping for breath as a hand went to his chest in an attempt to calm his pounding heart. </p><p>Panic set in as he didn’t recognize his surroundings, and he scrambled to his feet, his head whipping back and forth as he got his bearings. Slowly, his heart settled into a more natural pace as he recalled the previous day, and that he was still in Leblanc’s attic. </p><p>Taking a deep sigh to release the last dregs of anxiety, Ren sat down on the mattress, raising a hand to his forehead as he recalled the night’s dream. </p><p>“What was that…? It was like the hallucination in Shibuya yesterday.” Ren muttered to himself, trying to sort out his thoughts. “Velvet Room… Trickster… Ruin… what does it all mean? Am I going insane?” With the surfacing thought that maybe, just maybe, he might need a psychiatrist, his musings were cut short as Sojiro walked up the stairs, stopping at the top. </p><p>“Ah, good, you’re up. Hurry up and come downstairs once you’re ready. We’ll be meeting with your school about your transfer today. Shujin is in the Aoyama district, so it will take a while to get there by train, especially with all the transfers. I’ll drive you there, but just for today.” He sighed with obvious exasperation, and walked down the stairs again, though not before saying “sheesh… men aren’t usually allowed in my passenger seat. </p><p>Ren rolled his eyes at the comment. </p><p>“Whatever old man…” he muttered beneath his breath. Not wanting to make said old man angry, though, he quickly changed into his school uniform and went downstairs. With only a brief delay, they got in the car and made their way to Shujin Academy. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sunday, April 10th, 2016 - Daytime</b>
</p><p> </p><p>Surrounded by much taller drab grey buildings, and with an ugly concrete exterior, Shujin Academy felt like a prison - if a poorly disguised one…. What was it with him and prisons recently? He didn’t like how his future looked if this trend continued. </p><p>Sojiro stopped just at the front gate. “Do me a favor and behave, alright? Don’t get me wrong, I don’t care what happens to you, but don’t cause me any trouble.”</p><p>Unlike the last two times something similar had been said, Ren simply nodded, starting to tire of the multiple variations of the same speech. At this point, he just wanted to go back to the attic, even if sleep was the only thing he could do currently. </p><p>Seeming to accept the nod as answer enough, Sojiro nodded, whirled around, and walked into the school building.</p><p>Principal Kobayakawa could probably best be described as looking like a sad, lumpy potato that someone had stuffed into an already ill-fitting suit. It had taken all of Ren’s willpower to not crack under the image that came to mind, but it was a close thing. </p><p>“To reiterate, just so we’re clear, you will be immediately expelled if you cause any problems.” The morbidly, almost comically obese man was saying, starting to wrap up the speech he had probably prepared ahead of time. “In my opinion, you’re nothing but a liability, but we had our circumstances to consider…”</p><p>Ah. So that was it. It was about the school’s reputation. He wasn’t surprised, really. It wasn’t all that outlandish for a school to attempt a stunt like this in desperation’s. </p><p>“Whatever you might have gotten away with in your hometown… those days are over.” The principal continued. “If you are thrown out from our school, there will be no place for you to go. Keep that in mind.” </p><p>Kobayakawa then turned his attention to the brunette woman standing beside him. “This is the teacher in charge of your class.” He said simply, allowing the woman to introduce herself. </p><p>“I’m Sadayo Kawakami.” She said neutrally, setting some papers at the edge of the desk. “Here’s your student ID.” </p><p>Ren’s head cocked to one side as he noticed some pink papers, like some kind of pamphlet, beneath the ID. Kawakami seemed to notice too, and swiftly grabbed them off the table and stuffed them into her pocket before he could see what they were. </p><p>‘<em>The hell? Is nobody going to ask about that? That was more than a little suspicious.</em>’ Ren thought, brow furrowing just slightly. Still, he chose not to comment. ‘<em>If nobody else is going to call her on it, I suppose it’s not my place to do so.</em>’</p><p>Kawakami pretended what just happened had not just happened, and carried on accordingly. </p><p>“Be sure to read the school rules. Any violations will send you straight to the guidance office. And, if by chance you cause any problems, I won’t be able to protect you at all… that is your promise, right principal Kobayakawa?” She asks, turning to the man in question. </p><p>“Mhm. He is responsible for all his actions.”</p><p>She heaved a surprisingly weary sigh. “But why me though? There should have been better candidates.”</p><p>That comment got Ren’s eyebrow raised. ‘<em> I get she doesn’t want to deal with this, but is this really the place for this? Come on, I’m standing right here!’ </em> He fought back the urge to sigh as well. ‘ <em> Either way, this seems rather… unprofessional. </em>’</p><p>The potato in human form didn’t seem to notice. “It was a sudden transfer, and your class was the only one with an opening.” It said. </p><p>“If you’re done explaining things, mind if we get going? I’ve got a store to get back to.” Sojiro asked wearily. From his expression, the old man was also apparently getting tired of this conversation rather quickly. </p><p>“Sakura-san, please keep a close eye on him. Don’t let him cause trouble outside…”</p><p>‘<em> Can I just fade into the ether now? It would be an improvement. Besides, I may as well have in their eyes by this point. </em>’ Ren thought dryly. </p><p>“Well, I’ll be sure to have a serious talk about the situation he’s in.”</p><p>‘<em> Oh great, you too now.’  </em></p><p>Finally, Kawakami acknowledged his existence again, thus confirming him as a real, corporeal entity, if begrudgingly. </p><p>“Come to the faculty office when you arrive at school tomorrow. I’ll show you to your classroom.” </p><p>“Yes, ma’am.” Ren nodded, knowing there wasn’t really much else he could say. Such was his life now, it seemed. Without anything else left to be said, he and Sojiro left to head back to the car. However, Sojiro stopped near the front doors, thus making him stop as well. </p><p>“Everyone’s giving you the cold shoulder.” Sojiro began.</p><p>‘<em> No shit, you think? </em>’ It was hard. Very, very hard not to say it aloud. He bit the inside of his cheek to try to stop him from actually doing so. </p><p>“That’s what having a criminal record does to you.” Sojiro continued, rubbing the back of his head before turning to face Ren. “Turns out your past follows you wherever you go. By the way… if you get expelled now, I won’t hesitate to throw you out. Got it?”</p><p>“I’ll be careful, I promise.” It was better than calling the boss out on also giving him the cold shoulder. Or commenting on how obvious it was that one’s past followed them. Or maybe the fact this was the third time they were having this conversation. </p><p>“Good to see you understand.” Sojiro paused and looked around the entryway and sighed wistfully. “School never changes, huh?” And then the moment passed and he turned to leave. “Come on, we’re going home.”</p><p>Ren nodded and followed the old man once more, heading back to the car. </p><p>Much to the chagrin of both of them, the traffic was horrifically congested on the way back to Yongen-Jaya. </p><p>“Uuugh. Traffic’s not moving at all...” Sojiro grumbled, a finger tapping impatiently against the steering wheel. “You’re taking the train starting tomorrow.” He added, likely to fill the silence, since this was not the first time it had been mentioned. Or maybe he had memory issues. </p><p>“...so, how was it? The school, I mean. You think you can manage?” Sojiro continued. </p><p>Ren glanced at him from out of the corner of his eye. Where was this coming from? He didn’t seem to care all that much earlier. </p><p>“...Eh, we’ll see.” He answers cautiously. Truthfully, he got the sense things were going to be difficult if the tone the teacher and principal had spoken to him with were any indication. Still, at least here he was just an unknown, rather than some deranged psychopath like he was in the eyes of everyone back home.</p><p>Sojiro didn’t say anything for a moment, focused very intently on the stopped car in front of him. Finally, as though voicing his thoughts rather than trying to follow up on what Ren had said, he takes a somewhat different tack. “Still, you were expelled once already. To think you’d re-enroll at a different one. It’s not like anyone will be sympathetic with you… if that’s what it was like at school, people might say stuff about me in the future too… what a troublesome kid I’ve taken in…”</p><p>“Why <em> did </em> you take me in?” He asks, keeping his tone neutral. He wasn’t quite sure what had prompted the old man to take things in the direction they were, but his curiosity had been piqued by the last statement. </p><p>“I was asked to do it, and I just… happened to agree to it. I’ve already been paid for it too, after all.”</p><p>Ren cocked his head to the side just slightly. It was clear Sojiro wasn’t being truthful, and even if the second half of what he said made it sound bad, he got the sense that it wasn’t for a bad reason that the café owner had taken him in. Before he could press on it, though, the radio cut through his thoughts. </p><p>“<em> ...And now, back to today’s top stories. A subway train has derailed, severely affecting the timetable across all of… </em>”</p><p>“...another accident?” Sojiro said, frustration coming through clearly in his voice. So that’s why it’s so crowded. There’s been a lot of those lately.” He pauses, his expression softening somewhat before he continues. “In fact, there was a real sad one just last month. If I remember right, the girl that passed away was only fifteen. Her parents have gotta be just…” Sojiro didn’t finish the sentence aloud, not that he needed to. It wasn’t hard to imagine, really. </p><p>The thought caused Ren to look at his hands as his brows drew down. From what the old man said, it sounded like a tragedy, especially for the victim to be someone only a couple years younger than him. </p><p>“<em> ...All traffic around Shibuya Station is being redirected due to the accident, so drivers should expect jam packed streets. </em>”</p><p>“Oh, come on…” Sojiro despaired with a sigh</p><p>Ren, for one, agreed with him, and thus settled into his seat, preparing for a very long ride back to Leblanc. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sunday, April 10th, 2016 - Evening</b>
</p><p> </p><p>‘<em> Okay, I knew that was going to be a long drive, but I didn’t think it would take THAT long! </em>’ Thought Ren as he shook his head, following Sojiro into the empty café. </p><p>“Damn, to think there’d be that much traffic. What a waste of time. I wasn’t even able to open the café today…” Sojiro groused, more or less echoing Aden’s sentiment. “... whatever.” He turned to Ren. “Head on upstairs, I have something for you.”</p><p>“...Alright.” Said Ren, turning and heading up the stairs. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do anyway. ‘<em> With how things have been going, maybe it’s a contract. “I, Ren Amamiya, swear not to cause trouble for Sojiro Sakura” </em>’ he thought with some amusement. Still, he doubted it was completely unrelated to his probation. It ended up being about five minutes before the stairs creaked to indicate someone was climbing them. </p><p>“Jeez, talk about a gruesome accident. More than eighty people were involved…” the old man muttered as he reached the top of the stairs before putting his phone away. Reaching into his jacket, he withdrew a compact black notebook as he turned his attention to Ren. “Here’s a diary.” He supplied helpfully, setting the notebook on the small counter near the stair railing. “Make sure you keep it up to date. You may be under probation, but there’s no special limitations on what you do in particular - besides following the law, that is. However, I’m obligated to report on you, which is why I’m having you record your daily activities.”</p><p>‘<em> Ah, there it is. Oh well, it could be worse. Could have been a tracker </em>,’ thought Ren before the boss’ phone rang, cutting off his thoughts. </p><p>Sojiro wasted no time answering the phone. “Hey what’s up?” A pause. The voice on the other end was too faint to make out much of anything. “...I’m about to leave right now. Don’t worry, I’ll be there in no time.” Another, slightly longer pause. “...Uh-huh, I’ll see you soon.” He hung up, then turned to address Ren one more time. “Well, I’m off. I’ll lock the place up, so do whatever you want for the rest of the night. Oh, but don’t mess up my store. If something goes missing, I’ll hand you right over to the cops. You got school tomorrow… You better head off to bed, alright?” </p><p>Without waiting for a response, Sojiro walked back down the stairs, the bell above the door announcing his departure soon after. </p><p>Ren waited a short few moments, then walked over to the counter and picked up the diary, examining it for a moment.</p><p>“Never been much of a diary person, but I suppose it can’t be helped. Oh well, might as well make the most of it.” He mused aloud. After a moment’s thought, he opened to the first page and wrote a brief entry on the day’s events, with some additions for his thoughts, then tossed the notebook into his schoolbag before getting changed and going to bed. </p><p>Before sleep took him, he frowned as the icon of a red eye on his phone caught his attention.</p><p>He scowled. ‘<em> It’s back again? I swore I erased that thing. </em>’ He thought even as he deleted the app for the third time, rebooting his phone as a secondary precaution. </p><p>‘<em> Hopefully, it stays gone this time. </em>’ He thought with some satisfaction, setting his phone aside as his eyelids quickly grew heavy. He didn’t resist, falling swiftly into slumber. </p><p>Ren’s sleep was blessedly dreamless that night, granting him a reprieve from his life’s troubles. </p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Monday, April 11th, 2016 - Early Morning</b>
</p><p> </p><p>The alarm woke Ren up. Fortunately for him, it was synthesized, rather than the genuine alarm bells that had beckoned him back to sleep on his first night in Tokyo. Unfortunately, however, he was also keenly aware he had school today. Still, it was something that must be done. </p><p>Checking the time on his phone, he grumbled incoherently as he forced himself out of bed, changed into his school uniform, grabbed his bag and headed downstairs. </p><p>“So, you’re actually going to school, huh?” Sojiro remarked from behind the counter, setting down a fresh plate of curry on the counter with a steaming cup of coffee beside it. “Here, I’ll feed you. Just make sure you finish it before the customers start coming in.”</p><p>“Curry? A bit of an unusual breakfast…” Muttered Ren in response, even as he sat down at the bar stool and set his bag down. </p><p>“Don’t complain. Just eat.” The old man grumbled, running a hand over his already slicked back hair. </p><p>Left without really anything else to say, Ren started eating. </p><p>‘<em> ...?! </em>’ It was, quite simply, amazing. A complex mix of spices blended together in the curry to form a taste that was nothing short of delicious. The first bite alone was more than enough to wake him up, and before he knew it the curry and accompanying coffee were both gone. It was with admitted disappointment that he stood up from his seat and grabbed his bag again. </p><p>“It’s time for you to go.” Sojiro added, noticing that Ren was lingering in the store still. </p><p>“Thank you for the meal.” Said Ren in response, nodding his head slightly. </p><p>“Huh. Turns out you do have manners after all.” The old man smirked just a little as he said it, though he seemed pleased. “...hurry over to school. You’ll end up late if you get lost on the way.”</p><p>Ren nodded. “Okay. I’m off then.” And with that he made to leave, though Sojiro’s voice cut him off. </p><p>“Oh, before you go, could you flip the sign on the door to “open” for me?”</p><p>“Okay, got it.” He said before leaving the café, flipping the sign as requested, then heading to the Yongen-Jaya station, and getting on the train to Shibuya, learning firsthand that the rumors about the subway system were true as he got to experience what it was like being a sardine. </p><p>Sadly, the relief of being released from the metal coffin upon arrival in Shibuya was short-lived, as he had to make the transfer to the Ginza line to actually get to the Aoyama district. It would seem, though, that he would get to enjoy that freedom just a little longer, as it would seem he’d have to wait a few minutes before the next train arrived. </p><p>While waiting in the queue for the next train, a flash of red caught his eye as he looked up from his phone to check the time until the train arrived. Looking more closely, he found the source to be a somewhat short, thin girl with bright red hair tied up into a ponytail with a red bow. Similar to him, she also wore a black blazer with a white shirt beneath, though she wore a plaid skirt instead of plaid pants, and she had black leggings on, and red shoes. </p><p>‘<em> Cute </em> ,’ he thought, though more automatically than not. ‘ <em> By her outfit, it looks like she’s also a Shujin student. Huh.’ </em></p><p>Any further thought was cut off though, as the train pulled into the station, and the people boarded the train. As it was, he ended up standing just next to the seat the redhead had managed to snag, but he decided it was better just to mind his own business. </p><p>The ride was relatively quiet until near the end, when the red-haired girl stood up from her seat. </p><p>“Please, take my seat. My station is coming up.” She said with a smile, which he realized was directed at an elderly woman who was standing near the seat as well. </p><p>“Are ya sure? Then…” the old woman was cut off as a man in a business suit quickly sat down as soon as the younger woman had moved away. </p><p>“Oh wow, what speed!” The redhead muttered, then shook her head slightly as she collected herself. “I mean - excuse me, that seat was for this lady…”</p><p>The seat thief simply looked up at the girl blankly before seemingly falling asleep immediately. </p><p>“Oh…” the girl said dejectedly. </p><p>‘<em> What a prick. </em>’ Ren thought, a scowl forming on his face, then looked at the girl. “Want me to “wake him up”?” He offered. </p><p>“It’s alright. I can understand his position as well.” She responded with a small smile before turning to the old woman again. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be any help.”</p><p>“It’s alright deary, don’t you worry.” The older woman reassured with a gentle smile. </p><p>“Please allow me to carry your luggage, at least.”</p><p>“Thank you! Ain’t it heavy though?”</p><p>“Not at all! I train plenty,” said the redhead, her enthusiasm back in full force. Despite what had happened, Ren still found himself smiling a little as well. </p><p>Shortly after, though, the train pulled into the Aoyama-Itchome station, and so he got off the train, heading for the exit. </p><p>“Pardon me…” a voice called out from behind him, making him stop and turn around to find the girl from the train standing behind him.</p><p>“Huh? Yes?” He asked, a little surprised to see her addressing him again. Truthfully, he’d expected her to have forgotten his existence by now. </p><p> “Thank you so much for earlier.” She said with a smile, even going so far as to bow. </p><p>“With what?” Ren asked, thoroughly surprised that this girl would go to such lengths to express gratitude. </p><p>“For speaking up when I offered my seat on the train.” She said cheerily, shocking him further that she had taken time to formally thank him over something so minor. She inclined her head just slightly to one side as she noticed the pin with the number two on my blazer, as well as the two chevrons on my shirt collar that indicated my status as a second year student. </p><p>“You’re a second year at Shujin Academy, correct?” She continued, though she didn’t wait for Ren to respond, since it was fairly obvious. “I’m a first year there myself. Thanking you totally slipped my mind back on the train, and I didn’t want to be rude to my senpai.”</p><p>“It was no problem, really. I can’t stand it when people act so rude like that man did. Sorry I didn’t do more to help.” Ren said, recovering from his surprise enough to speak. </p><p>“It’s fine really, what you did was more than enough.” She assured, smiling more brightly. “Now, please excuse me.” She bowed and started to walk to the exit. </p><p>Ren watched her walk, brow furrowing in thought. It felt so nice really, being actually acknowledged and treated with respect again. Perhaps it wasn’t a very long time, but the last two weeks of being looked at like an animal had been more emotionally draining than he cared to admit. After a couple moments of consideration, he called out before the girl disappeared into the crowds. </p><p>“H-hey! Wait up!”</p><p>Now it was the redhead’s turn to be surprised as she wheeled around on the spot. “Uh, yes? Is something wrong?”</p><p>Not wanting to have to raise his voice to be heard, he walks over to her, butterflies filling his stomach, and his nervousness likely showed on his face too. “No, no, sorry if I startled you. I just figured that since we’re both going to Shujin, would you mind if we walked there together? I just transferred here, so I don’t really know anyone here, and I’m not really familiar with the place.”</p><p>The first year appeared further surprised by his request, then seemed to consider it briefly, before finally answering. “Hmm... alright, I don’t see any problems with that.”</p><p>Ren smiled the first genuine smile in what felt like a long time. “Thank you. I’m Ren, by the way. Ren Amamiya.” He added, figuring if he was going to walk with her to school he might as well introduce himself. </p><p>“Oh! Sorry, it seems I forgot my manners earlier. I’m Kasumi Yoshizawa. It’s nice to meet you Amamiya-senpai!”</p><p>A faint laugh escaped him. While her tone was incredibly polite, something about it seemed oddly endearing to him. “Likewise, Yoshizawa-san.” Ren nodded slightly, and started to walk to the station exit, Kasumi falling into step beside him. </p><p>“So you said you were a transfer student, Senpai?” Kasumi asked after allowing a beat to pass. </p><p>“Yeah, I am. I actually just arrived in Tokyo two days ago.” </p><p>Her eyes went a little wide. “Wow. That can’t be easy, going to school after arriving two days before. I actually just transferred here too though, so I don’t really know anyone here either. Well, besides you now.”</p><p>“Heh. Looks like we’re in the same boat then.” He commented as they exited onto the street, though they were immediately greeted with a steady downpour of rain, causing them to take cover under a nearby overhang</p><p>Taking a moment to look through his bag, Ren hissed under his breath. “Crap. I forgot to pack an umbrella for today.” He turned to Kasumi. “What about you? Did you bring one Yoshizawa-san?”</p><p>“I think so… let me check.” She said with uncertainty before pulling out her bag to dig through it. </p><p>While the first year was busy doing so, a third person stopped underneath the overhang on Ren’s other side, prompting him to look at her. </p><p>The girl pulled back the hood of the hoodie she wore beneath her blazer, revealing light blonde hair tied into large pigtails, and bright blue eyes. From the look of her, pretty much anyone would be hard pressed to not describe her as “beautiful”. Noticing Ren’s gaze on her, she looked at him for a moment before politely smiling, then looking back out to the street. </p><p>Kasumi spoke up just as Ren looked away from the other girl. </p><p>“Looks like we’re in luck, I found my umbrella.” She said with a pleased look, displaying the red collapsible umbrella for Ren. </p><p>“Nice. If you’re ready, we can-“</p><p>Ren’s phone beeped, but before he could look down at it, a car pulled up to the sidewalk. The window rolled down, revealing a man in a blue tracksuit with a mess of curly black hair and a very square chin. </p><p>“Good morning.” Mop hair said in a friendly tone as he looked at the blonde haired girl. “Want me to give you a ride to school? You’re gonna be late.” </p><p>“Um, sure. Thank you.” Said blonde replied, getting into the passenger seat. </p><p>The man looked at Ren, then his gaze settled on Kasumi. “You two need a lift too?” He offered. His smile seemed to grow a little. Ren brushed it off as nothing more than his imagination. </p><p>Kasumi shared a look with Ren, who shrugged slightly and then shook his head a little. Kasumi decided to speak for both of them. </p><p>“Thank you, but we’ll be alright on our own.” </p><p>The older man’s smile faltered just a little. “You sure?” He asked, seeming surprised. “Alright, suit yourselves.” He said. His eyes lingered on Kasumi for just a moment or two longer before he rolled up the window. </p><p>As the window rolled up, Ren caught a glimpse of the blonde, who suddenly wore a much more downcast expression. Ren frowned. Why did she look so upset? </p><p>His thoughts were cut off as a young man with short, spiky blonde hair came running up from the direction the car had come from. </p><p>“Damnit! Screw that pervy teacher…” he growled with a surprising amount of venom in his voice. </p><p>“Uhh… pervy… teacher?” Kasumi asked, sounding somewhat uncomfortable with saying such a phrase. Ren’s phone beeped. He ignored it as the blonde punk-looking kid rounded on her. </p><p>“What do you want?” He asked angrily. “You planning on ratting me out to Kamoshida?” His eyes narrowed as he made the accusation, starting to advance on the girl menacingly. </p><p>Ren quickly stepped between the two with a startlingly serious expression. Still, he kept his temper in check, recalling quite vividly what had happened the last time he let his emotions get the better of him. </p><p>“Calm down. We don’t even know who this Kamoshida is.” Said Ren, looking at the other young man as though daring him to try something. Ren’s phone beeped a third time. This time, he was too focused on making sure spiky hair didn’t try to hurt Kasumi - who shied away behind Ren - to notice. </p><p>“Huh?” The blonde boy said, his anger evaporating instantly as incredulity takes its place. “You don’t know who Kamoshida is? The guy in the car just now, that was him.” He scoffed as he looked away, his anger bleeding back into his expression. “He does whatever the hell he wants. Who does he think he is - the king of a castle?” He muttered a curse under his breath, before something occurred to him as Ren’s phone beeped a fourth time. “Wait, are you for real? How do you guys not know Kamoshida? You’re from Shujin, right?”</p><p>“Umm, well… I’m a first year actually…” Kasumi spoke up shakily from behind Ren. She seemed a little more sure of herself now, but likely didn’t want to incur the vulgar boy’s wrath again</p><p>“And I just transferred here recently.” Ren supplied, in an attempt to keep attention on him.</p><p>“Oh, that explains it. No wonder you don’t know him.” He said, all his previous hostility disappearing entirely now. He turned toward the street and seemed to gaze off for a moment, then looked at the pair again. “This rain ain’t too bad. We better hurry up, or we’ll be late.”</p><p>Just as the boy turned to leave, a sudden feeling of lightheadedness left Ren stumbling a little bit. So intense was the feeling that he didn’t even notice the similar reactions from both the other second year and Kasumi. </p><p>The feeling passed as suddenly as it came, and Ren vaguely heard the spiky-haired kid complain about his head hurting and wanting to go home. He focused instead on Kasumi, who still looked a little shaken. </p><p>“Are you alright Yoshizawa?” He asked, his concern coloring his voice, and spreading across his face. </p><p>She nodded, taking slow breaths to calm herself down. “Yeah… I’m alright now. Thank you again Senpai.” She responded, bowing again, if unsteadily. </p><p>“It was no problem, really. I couldn’t just stand there and let him threaten you like that.” He smiled again as he said it, running his hand along his hair. “Are you well enough to walk? He was right about being late.” </p><p>“Y-yeah. I’ll be fine. Let’s get going.” </p><p>Ren nodded and started following after the vulgar second year, Kasumi opening her umbrella as she once again matched her pace with Ren’s. </p><p>Neither of them heard the synthetic voice that came from Ren’s phone saying “<em> Beginning navigation </em>.” as they followed the second year through the alleys towards the school. Had Ren looked at his phone, he would have seen his screen covered with the image of a red eye.</p><p>They both nearly ran into said young man as he stopped at the mouth of one of the alleys, then followed his gaze. </p><p>“What the hell?” Said Ren in disbelief as he stared in much the same way the other boy way. </p><p>“What… what is this?” Kasumi asked nervously, as she too stared at the sight towering above them. </p><p>Where Shujin Academy had been before, there now stood a grand castle that towered above its surroundings. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. You’re Myself, I’m Yourself</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ren, Kasumi, and the vulgar boy who had originally confronted them find themselves before an unfamiliar castle, and go to investigate. However, it doesn’t take long before things go wrong.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright, I’m back! Thank you all so much for the support and feedback on the previous chapter, it is very much appreciated, and provided a lot of motivation for me to get this next chapter out. That said, I am sorry for taking so long to upload this. I would actually have been done about two weeks ago, but a pretty nasty essay burned me out for a little while. Anyway, here is chapter two. I hope you all enjoy.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>Monday, April 11th, 2016 - Early Morning<br/><br/></b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kasumi, Ren, and the blonde boy all stared - hard, the sheer incredulity of the situation completely overwhelming them. A castle, here! In the middle of Tokyo! And a medieval style one rather than the traditional Japanese style to boot. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The momentary silence was broken by the vulgar boy speaking aloud the general consensus of the trio. “An effin’ castle?! How the hell did we get here?!” He paused, looking up and down the street that separated them from the drawbridge leading inside, then turned back to the alley they had exited. “We didn’t go the wrong way…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what you’re worried about? And not the fact that there’s a medieval castle in the middle of Aoyama?” Ren inquired with a raised brow</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I’m worried about that too!” The boy spluttered as he weakly defended himself. “I just wanna know how we ended up here instead of the school.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Umm… Senpais?” Kasumi spoke up, the nervousness in her voice drawing both of their attention to her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What’s wrong, Yoshizawa?” Ren spoke up for the both of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The sign over there, near the entrance, doesn’t it say “Shujin Academy”?” She asked, pointing across at an object across the street. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren’s head swiveled to follow where she was pointing and noticed the rectangular block of concrete to the right of the drawbridge that somewhat blended into the sidewalk around it. The black writing carved on its surface read “Shujin Academy”. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It does… But this definitely isn’t Shujin. I would have remembered if it looked like that.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then this means it should be the right place.” The blonde commented, then looked up and down the street again. “It looks kinda like the right place too.” His brow furrowed for a few moments as he concentrated, before looking up at the entrance again. “I guess the only thing we can do is go in and ask.” He concludes, crossing the street and making his way to the entrance, Ren following him after a brief delay, and Kasumi following just behind Ren.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uhm, Amamiya-senpai? Are you sure this is a good idea?” The redhead whispered as they crossed the street and started up the drawbridge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, I’m not. But this is really the only way I can think of to figure out what’s going on.” Ren confided, also keeping his voice down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His answer seemed to satisfy her, if her silence was any indication, said silence even spreading to the other second year. The silence was finally broken as they came to a stop in the middle of the grand main hall and foyer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Th-that’s weird. Where’s the school?” The vulgar boy asked the empty room as he scratched the back of his head in confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“M-maybe we actually did go the wrong way… or something…” Kasumi supplied</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No! This has to be it!” He said, maybe a little too forcefully, noticing Kasumi flinch a little as he turned to look at her. “I mean, it… should be…” he corrected, making sure to sound less aggressive, looking towards the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren smiled just a little. Maybe this guy wasn’t as bad as he had first seemed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of metallic clanking caught their attention suddenly, as from the darkness of one side of the main hall, what appeared to be a knight emerged from the shadows, complete with a sword and shield, though it wore a mask in the shape of a face with a blank expression instead of the normal helmet covering. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Geez, you freaked me out!” The blonde said to the strange knight, seeming to relax a little. “Who’re you? A student?” He walked closer, examining the plate armor. “Man, your costume’s impressive. Is that armor real?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The knight was silent as the grave, gazing down at the three students imperiously. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“C’mon, don’t just stand there, say somethin’.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dude. I don’t think this is a prank…” Ren said, nervousness creeping into his voice as a second knight marched up to stand beside the first. With his arm, he ushers Kasumi to stand behind him again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think this is real…” Kasumi commented shakily, silently grateful to have some form of shield between her and the armed soldiers. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Having it pointed out to him, the other second year seemed to quickly realize how bad this situation looked. “Shit…” he said as he backed away. “We gotta run!” He concluded, correctly, as he turned towards the exit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right. Let’s go Yoshizawa.” Ren nodded, turning and being the second to actually make a break for it, with Kasumi being the first. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>They didn’t get very far before two more knights came from the sides of the foyer and cut off their escape route, linking up with the first two to surround the three teens. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wha-what’s going on?” The redhead asked as she swiftly backed up, nearly tripping when she ended up backing into Ren. There wasn’t time for an answer before a pained cry sounded through the hall as one of the knights gave the blonde boy a harsh bash with his shield, knocking him to his knees.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oww… you’re gonna break my bones, damnit!” The offended party cried in anger. What are you—!” He didn’t get to yell much longer, before an armored fist connected with his face, silencing him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damn. This isn’t good…” hissed Ren as Kasumi whimpered, looking between the four knights to try and assess which would attack him, and which might attack the first year in front of him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The effort, while it was not a bad one, proved futile, as there were too many for him to keep track of, and it wasn’t long before the edge of a shield caught the back of his head, sending him to join the vulgar boy in unconsciousness, Kasumi’s cry of fear being the last thing he heard before fully succumbing. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Monday, April 11th, 2016 - Early Morning<br/></b>
  <b></b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Senpai, wake up!” A voice demanded, piercing through the fog of Ren’s mind. His eyes opened to the sight of a familiar redhead kneeling beside him, with a spiky haired blonde just behind her. With a groan, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh…? Yoshizawa…?” He asks, rubbing his forehead in an attempt to alleviate the lingering headache from the blow he took. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you alright?” The spiky haired boy asked first as the underclassman backed up to give Ren some space. Judging from his voice, he seemed genuinely concerned. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m alright. What about you two?” Ren asked, looking at Kasumi, then the blonde. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m alright. They didn’t do much to me.” Kasumi confirmed, relieving a weight Ren hand realized had settled in his stomach. “Thank goodness you’re okay, Amamiya-senpai.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m fine, more or less. It seems like this definitely isn’t a dream though.” The spiky haired boy added, turning to look around the cell. On what looked like a whim, he ran over to the cell door and banged on the bars, creating a racket. “Hey! Let us outta here! I know there’s someone out there!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>While he did so, Kasumi turned her attention to Ren again. “Can you stand, Senpai? We need to get out of here somehow.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren nodded. “Yeah, I can stand. Not sure how we can get out of here though, it doesn’t look like there’s any way out of here without the keys.” He said, pushing himself off the bed and onto his feet. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His last comment seemed to give the younger girl pause to think. She didn’t seem to get very far though, as a sudden, distant scream echoed throughout the hallways. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was that… what I think it was…?” The red haired kouhai asked slowly, the hints of fear creeping into her voice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Woah… woah, woah, woah, woah!” The blonde said as he started to panic, shaking the cell door with vigor before kicking it in anger. “Shit!” His anger momentarily spent, he let his head hang against the bars of the cell. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of armor clanking drew their attention once again as a new set of five guards appeared before the cell door. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“<strong>Be glad your punishment has been decided upon.</strong>” One of them spoke in a distorted voice. “<strong>Your charge is “unlawful entry”. Thus, you will be sentenced to death.</strong>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Say what?!” The blonde asked incredulously, and rightly so that the sentence would be death for such a crime. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“<strong>No one is allowed to do as they please in </strong></span>
  <strong>
    <em>my</em>
  </strong>
  <span><strong> castle</strong>.” A new, even further distorted voice declared, prompting the lead guard to step aside, revealing the teacher from earlier, though this time he wore a small crown atop his messy hair, and dear god he was wearing a cape and nothing beneath it aside from a pink speedo. Ren resisted the urge to gag. He was pretty sure that image would be burned into his mind and would haunt his nightmares for the rest of eternity. That aside, the biggest difference was his eyes: they were bright yellow, and seemed to glow with their own inner light. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh? Wait… is that you Kamoshida?!” The blonde asked in utter disbelief of the sight before him. To be fair, most people probably would be in disbelief that something so scarring could exist in this universe, so Ren couldn’t blame him for asking such an obvious question. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kasumi looked away, likely in disgust as well, or just because she really didn’t want to see that. Either way, Ren couldn’t blame her either. He wanted to look away too, but something about Kamoshida’s eyes kept his gaze transfixed on them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man - or thing - that looked like Kamoshida appeared slightly surprised. “<strong>I thought it would be some petty thief, but to think it’d be you, Sakamoto…</strong>” A smirk spread across his face. “<strong>Are you trying to disobey me again? It looks like you haven’t learned your lesson at all, huh?</strong>” He looked at Ren, and then a creepy grin spread across his face as he spotted Kasumi behind the two, his gaze lingering on her. “<strong>And you brought a couple friends this time… because you can’t do anything for yourself. At least one of them will make a nice slave.</strong>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Slave?!” Kasumi exclaimed, the horrified look on her face matching the tone in her voice. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just listening to his words made Ren feel slimy, even as his comment sparked a fiery rage within him. It felt as though every fiber of him was burning with the desire to beat this man within an inch of his life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“This ain’t funny you asshole!” Sakamoto said before Ren could say anything, rattling the cage door again. It seemed, though, that it was enough to provoke the perverted king, as Kamoshida looked at the punk. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“<strong>Is that how you speak to a king? It seems you don’t understand the position you’re in at all. Not only did you sneak into my castle, you committed the crime of insulting me - the king.</strong>” The disgusting smirk slid back onto his face. “<strong>The punishment for that is death. It’s time for an execution!</strong>” The king declared, turning to the guard to his left. “<strong>Get this door open and restrain them!</strong>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren backed away swiftly as the guard unlocked the cell and entered, the other guards trailing just behind. Glancing behind him, he saw Kasumi shuffle back as well. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I ain’t down for this shit, man!” Sakamoto’s yell brought attention back to him as he charged the guard nearest him, and surprisingly managed to knock him to the ground. He turned to the other two students. “Hurry up and get outta—!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>One of the guards, taking advantage of the blonde’s distraction, advanced and drove the pommel of his sword into the boy’s gut, forcing all the air out of him at once, then left him crumpled over on his hands and knees. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sakamoto-senpai!” Kasumi cried, and then cried out again - this time in pain as one guard harshly shoved her against the wall, his hand clamped around her neck. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yoshizawa!” Cried Ren in a mixture of fear and anger. He then turned to look at Kamoshida, just in time to be met with a pair of spears pointed at him, courtesy of the last two guards. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“<strong>Hey, be careful with the redhead! She can’t be a good slave if she’s broken!</strong>” Kamoshida reprimanded the guard. “<strong>Take her to one of the special cells, I’ll deal with her myself once I’m done here.</strong>” He returned his attention to Sakamoto after giving the command, kicking the still-kneeling boy in the gut and repeatedly kicking him again after he fell down. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Quickly grasping what the command meant, Kasumi began thrashing against the literal iron grasp holding her. “Ngh— let go!” Kasumi pleaded desperately. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Her plea fell on deaf ears though, as the guard lifted her bodily and threw her roughly over its shoulder, turning on its heel to leave, otherwise ignoring the still-thrashing girl. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren’s knuckles turned white from how tightly his hands were balled into fists, and a frustrated growl escaped him. He had to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>! She was </span>
  <em>
    <span>right there</span>
  </em>
  <span>! But with the two guards facing him, the only thing he could do was watch, lest he end up skewered before he could even do anything. The same applied to his classmate, who laid there whimpering after Kamoshida had stopped his assault. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goddamnit, just stop you asshole!” Ren yelled, unable to stay quiet any longer as his rage started to get the better of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“<strong>Hmm…?</strong>” For the first time, Kamoshida fully turned his attention to Ren. The guard carrying Kasumi stopped at the cell door, as though he was surprised someone had spoken up. Kasumi still tried - futilely - to break free. “<strong>What? Don’t tell me you don’t know who I am.</strong>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The perverted king suddenly got much closer, his face probably no more than a foot from Ren’s as his unnerving yellow eyes stared at the raven haired boy with a piercing intensity. Ren stared back defiantly, a figurative - though no less intense - fire burning in his own eyes. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kamoshida’s eyes narrowed. “<strong>That look in your eyes irritates me!</strong>” The man said, kicking Ren in the chest with enough force to send the boy stumbling back to the wall. He then looked at the spearmen near Ren. “<strong>Hold him there</strong>,” he ordered. “<strong>After the peasant, it’s his turn to die.</strong>” The guards complied, lifting the dazed boy up by his shoulders and held him to the wall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A sharp intake of breath drew the king’s gaze to the red-eyed girl, who had stilled, staring at him with wide eyes. A toothy grin split his face. “<strong>That’s right, they’re both going to die here. Doesn’t worry though, I’ve got something </strong></span>
  <strong>
    <em>very</em>
  </strong>
  <span><strong> special in store for you.</strong>” He then addressed the guard holding her with a sharp “<strong>Get her out of here!</strong>”, which was swiftly obeyed. The cries and sounds of struggle which followed were like music to his ears. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren fought as hard as he could against the faceless knights holding him. At this rate, he really was going to die. Unfortunately, with his shoulders held down as they were, there was nothing he could do to break free short of a miracle. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And then, for the second time since he’d arrived, time stopped as the color drained from the world around him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From the edges of his vision, a brilliant golden butterfly flitted into existence, gracefully gliding down and landing on the arm of one of the guards holding him down. It seemed to gaze at Ren for both only a few seconds and an incredibly long time. The moment was broken when a second butterfly, a bright blue one fluttered slowly past him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Accompanying this second butterfly, a voice rang out, sounding both distant and near at the same time. “This is truly an unjust game… your chances of winning are almost none,” the distinctly feminine voice said. “But if my voice is reaching you, there may yet be a possibility open to you…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Left unable to even consider a response, Ren watched as the golden butterfly took flight again, leading its blue counterpart away from him before both suddenly disappeared and time resumed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>No sooner had it done so, however, that a new voice spoke. This one, however, was deep and masculine, and came from within his head. It was accompanied by the sound of rattling chains. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>What’s the matter? Are you simply going to watch? Are you forsaking them to save yourself?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Death awaits him if you do nothing, and a fate even worse awaits her.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Were your previous decisions a mistake then?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The voice sounded almost accusatory as it asked it’s final question, and Ren could immediately tell what it was referring to. Images of the night he had gotten arrested, and when he had again stepped in front of Kasumi, came to the forefront of his mind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Were they mistakes? What kind of question is that?! Of course not!</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ He thought, even as he fought with all his might against the knights holding him, watching as one of the guards lifted Sakamoto up with one hand while raising its sword with the other. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Very well… I have heeded your resolve.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Pain</span>
  </em>
  <span>. What was easily the most excruciating pain he had ever experienced assailed him without warning. It felt as though someone had driven a white-hot poker up his spinal cord and into his brain. A part of him feared his head would simply explode. His resistance against his restraint redoubled, though it was more involuntary, as he tried to escape the pain, and</span>
</p>
<p><span>“</span><b>Vow to me.</b> <b>I am thou, thou art I…</b><span>”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Thou, who art willing to perform all sacrilegious acts for thine own justice!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Call upon my name, and release thy rage!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pain sharply spiked, reaching a point that it felt as though all the blood in his brain had suddenly turned to molten earth. Ren screamed, unable to handle the sheer </span>
  <em>
    <span>agony</span>
  </em>
  <span> he was experiencing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Show the strength of thy will to ascertain all on thine own, though thou be chained to Hell itself!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren slumped over, the pain receding as suddenly as it appeared. However, a new feeling took its place, a feeling like fire in his chest. This one didn’t hurt though, instead strengthening his resolve. Ren looked up at Kamoshida just as the man pointed dramatically at Sakamoto. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Execute him!</b>
  <span>” The King demanded, sounding infinitely pleased with himself. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s enough!” Ren yelled in a commanding voice, gathering as much authority as he could muster. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>What was that…?</b>
  <span>” The man’s eyes were narrowed dangerously as he turned around fully to look at Ren. The guard holding Sakamoto dropped him as it also turned to look at Ren. “</span>
  <b>You desire to be killed that much? Fine!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren saw Kamoshida nod to the guard to his left, and then suddenly the arms retracted. Just as he turned to look at the guard in question, he was met face first with the broad side of a shield. The blow made him stagger, his glasses shattering as they were knocked off his face. Dazed from the force of the blow, he couldn’t do anything as a pair of spears crossed over his neck, pinning him to the wall. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kamoshida smirked, sweeping his hand outwards. “</span>
  <b>Do it.</b>
  <span>” He commanded. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The guard raised its sword, preparing for the strike that would end Ren’s life. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren opened his eyes as he felt something well up inside him, and a sudden blast of wind erupted around him, with enough strength to force back even the guards holding him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When the wind died down, Ren was suddenly quite aware of the presence of something on his face. Reaching up and touching it, he realized it was a mask, and something inside of him knew he </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to get this thing off. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He reached up with both hands and grabbed the mask, tugging at it, but the thing wouldn’t budge, so he shifted both hands to one side and pulled with all his might. Finally, the thing began to move, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>oh god did it hurt</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was like the thing was </span>
  <em>
    <span>attached </span>
  </em>
  <span>to his face by innumerable hooks. Even still, he carried on, blood spurting from his face as he pulled the mask further, a pained cry escaping him as he did so. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“PERSONAAAA!” Ren yelled, as he </span>
  <em>
    <span>ripped</span>
  </em>
  <span> the mask off his face. Blood dripping down his face, he opened his eyes to look at the trash before him, his eyes bright yellow, and glowing with their own inner light, a just slightly manic grin spread across his face. This… this felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful</span>
  </em>
  <span>! He didn’t even know it was possible to feel this kind of sheer exhilaration. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blood on his face evaporated as it ignited into blue flames, the same blue flames flaring up in a circle around him. A deep, sonorous laughter echoed throughout the room as the flames spread across Ren’s face and down his body until they completely covered him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Red-orange flames suddenly formed where Ren’s face had been, taking shapes similar to eyes and a wide grin, before the mass of flames pulled away from Ren, revealing the boy now wore a long black tailcoat, black pants and pointed boots, a charcoal gray waistcoat, and crimson gloves. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A distinctive metallic rattling joined the roar of flames as black chains surrounded the now-much larger being behind Ren. The flames making up its form rapidly condensed, before finally forming a distinctive top hat and something akin to a red eighteenth century suit, that was contrasted with the long claws that tipped its fingers, and the black, long-horned mask that formed its face. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren swept his arms out to the side, and the demon behind him swept out a pair of wings, creating a violent blast of wind that sent the guards flying backwards. The grin on Ren’s face only grew wider as he watched Kamoshida scurry to the farthest corner of the cell from him, and he was only vaguely aware of Sakamoto’s shocked expression. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>I am the pillager of twilight— Arsène!</b>
  <span>” The demon announced, taking his place just behind Ren’s right shoulder. “</span>
  <b>I am the rebel’s soul that resides within you. Should you do desire, I shall consider granting you the power to break through this crisis.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren looked up at the manifestation of the gentleman thief, his grin morphing into a smirk. “Then give me your power, Arsène.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Hmph, very well.</b>
  <span>” Though he sounded annoyed, Ren could sense a kind of amusement coming from his other self. “</span>
  <b>This power of mine is yours! Kill them however you want. </b>
  <b>
    <em>Run wild to your heart’s content!</em>
  </b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Who the hell are you?!</b>
  <span>” Kamoshida demanded, drawing Ren’s attention back to him. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who am I?” Ren asked as his hands balled into fists, though his right hand instead found itself gripping the handle of a dagger. Ren didn’t question the weapon’s existence, it felt so natural to him that it may as well have just been an extension of his arm. “I’m the “criminal” who’s going to make you regret everything.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rage settled in the king’s eyes, though the fear was still obvious to Ren. “</span>
  <b>Guards! Start by killing that one!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Obeying their master’s command, the heaps of metal jumped to their feet, before suddenly losing their form, liquefying into some viscous black-red fluid. This only lasted a moment, though, before they reformed into floating jack-o-lanterns, complete with a wizard’s hat and a robe, their one hand holding a small lantern. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>You’ll learn the true strength of my men!</b>
  <span>” Taunted Kamoshida from his “safe” corner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What trash.” Said Ren coldly. “Fine. Let’s go, Arsène!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With the great thief’s laughter sounding once again, Ren took the initiative, launching himself at the nearest creature before it had a chance to react. His curved dagger lashed out twice - two diagonal slashes forming an “x”, cutting the shocked being’s pumpkin head into four pieces shortly before it vanished into black mist. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Arsène did not sit idly by either. Where Ren had gone right, he went left, following the unspoken command of his other self. If Ren had surprised the entity he had chosen, the other nearest creature barely even saw the blur of red before Arsène’s claws tore through hat, pumpkin, and robe in a single strike. The pumpkin head behind it though, only had enough time to be surprised before Arsène’s other hand grabbed it by the face, lifted it higher into the air, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>squeezed</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The thing’s head almost instantly was crushed beneath Arsène’s grip, it too dissolving into mist like its brethren. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It seemed, though, that the fourth had something akin to a brain, as it struck out at Ren while he was open after killing the first of the four, its lantern striking Ren square in the chest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gah!” Ren cried, staggering back from the force of the strike. He was thankful that it wasn’t the sword like the ones the knights had. “Arsène!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The well-dressed demon thrust his palm outwards at the silent command, launching a ball of red-black curse energy at the pumpkin head. The thing didn’t have time to dodge, and was swiftly consumed by the chaotic energy that dissolved it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In the momentary silence that followed the final guard’s defeat, Ren straightened himself despite the lingering pain from the hit he’d taken, calmly pulling down on the bottom of his right glove, then his left. Wordlessly, Arsène vanished in a burst of blue flame, and the same birdlike black and white domino mask he’d torn off earlier reformed on his face. That silence was unfortunately broken quite shortly after. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Why you little…!</b>
  <span>” Kamoshida, apparently much braver now that the angry tuxedoed man was gone, getting to his feet and stalking towards Ren</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren turned to face the perverted teacher, fixing him with a glare so intense it made the man stop dead in his tracks, just for a moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That one moment proved to be just enough though, as Kamoshida was sent sprawling to the floor by a black and yellow blur. Ren was vaguely aware of something metallic hitting the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You like that, asshole?!” Sakamoto taunted, a positively euphoric look on his face as he gazed at the prone man. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren, however, was more focused on the keys that were the source of the sound he heard. An idea struck him, so he acted on it. “The keys! Lock him in!” He ordered, since the blonde was closer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh?” Said Sakamoto, before catching onto what he was talking about. “Got it.” Moving quickly, he grabbed the keys and dashed out the cell door, waiting for Ren to exit before shutting and locking it. “There, it’s locked.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost immediately, Kamoshida was at the cell door, shaking the bars vigorously “</span>
  <b>You rotten little shitbags!</b>
  <span>” The king snarled at the two boys. “</span>
  <b>You’ll regret this!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like hell we will!” The blonde said for the both of them, turning and throwing the keys as hard as he could into the waters of the channel dividing the hallway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sakamoto, let’s get out of here before more trouble shows up. Besides, Yoshizawa is still out there somewhere.” Ren said, deciding to take charge of the situation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That seemed to get his classmate’s focus again, at least, what little there was after the shocks he’d had lately. “R-right. You lead the way.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren nodded, though as he made to leave, he could hear the other boy mutter “god, this is effin’ nuts…” Ren couldn’t help but agree on that one. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Monday, April 11th, 2016 - Morning</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Getting out of the prison had, in fact, proven much more difficult than either of the boys had anticipated. The place was like a maze, with locked doors, dead ends, and guards everywhere. On top of all that, the fact that there actually were other people confined here did little to help their mental state. Honestly, it was a miracle they hadn’t run into a roadblock they couldn’t find a way around. Well, until now that was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Damnit, another dead end?!” The spiky haired student growled as he stared at the raised drawbridge with a large, creepy bust of Kamoshida next to it. “We’ll never get out of here at this rate!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There hasn’t been any sign of Yoshizawa either. I’m worried about what might happen if we don’t find her soon.” Ren contributed, keeping his composure for the moment. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I know!” Sakamoto raised his voice sharply. “Damnit, this is too much! What the hell happened back there anyway?! What was that thing, and what’s the deal with your clothes?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Given the chance to actually breathe for the first time, Ren looked down at his clothes for the first time. Truly looked, that is, as he’d only been peripherally aware of his new outfit, and the fight with the guards and subsequent flight hadn’t left him any time to actually consider it. Perhaps contributing to that was the fact that they felt quite comfortable on him, like they were designed to fit him specifically. The fact that they were, in Ren’s mind, quite stylish as well might also have played a role. Now that he actually took the time to slow down and look, however, they suddenly vanished in a burst of blue flames, leaving him back in his school uniform once again. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They went back to normal…?” Ren muttered to himself, thoroughly confused. He shook his head, it didn’t matter right now. He looked at his classmate. “Trust me, I’m as confused as you are about this. But right now, we have to focus on finding Yoshizawa and getting out of here. I know this is confusing, but we need to stay focused if we’re going to accomplish either of those goals. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The vulgar boy looked like he was about to retort, but before he could, a somewhat androgynous, if boyish voice spoke up from one of the nearby cells. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, you there! Blondie, frizzy hair! Look over here!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two teens turned in sync to look into the cell the voice had come from, which seemed empty. That is, until they looked down to see a cat… monster… thing? It looked vaguely like a cat, but it wore a yellow scarf, had a sort of utility belt, and its head and eyes were comically large. It reminded Ren of a mascot, just really small. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell?!” Sakamoto recoiled, as though shocked at the thing’s appearance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Seriously? After all that happened, this is still shocking to you?</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ Thought Ren even as the weird thing continued. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re not soldiers of this castle, right?! Get me out of here! Look, the key’s right there!” It said, pointing to the wall nearby where a set of keys hung on a hook. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why should we trust you? You look like an enemy too!” Sakamo argued, leaning closer to the cage. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m locked up here, so how can I be your enemy?! Help me out!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He has a point,” Ren added, brushing aside some hair that had gotten in his face. “If he were an enemy, he wouldn’t be in there. At minimum, he’s the enemy of our enemy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The creature seemed to puff up and beamed at Ren. “Glad to see you have a decent head on your shoulders, frizzy hair.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The sound of metallic boots at a steady run interrupted them, drawing the attention of all three for a moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“They’re catching up to us…” Blondie pointed out the obvious with fear in his voice. Hoping for some form of salvation, he checked his phone and hissed. “Shit, still no service!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cat-thing took the opportunity to speak up. “You’re trying to get out of here, right? I know where the exit is. Let me out, and I’ll take you there.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we really trust it? it looks like it’s all talk.” Sakamoto questioned, turning to look at Ren. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! I always keep my word!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren looked at the cat thing for a moment with a raised brow, then looked at the blonde. “I wouldn’t say trust, but I’ll take my chances with him over the guards.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakamoto briefly glanced over his shoulder towards where the steps had been heard from. “Alright, you have a point.” He finally relented, walking over to the keys and tossing them to Ren. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catching the keys with little effort, Ren stopped just before the cell door, looking intently at the catlike creature within. “One other thing. We’re looking for a friend who came in here with us. Short, thin, athletic, bright red hair. Seen her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The cat placed a paw(?) on its chin and closed its eyes in thought for a few moments before finally answering. “No, I haven’t seen anyone like that around here. I could help you find her though, if you’d be willing to help me in exchange later.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Done.” Ren answers without hesitation, unlocking the cell and opening the door, stepping aside to allow the inhabitant to exit.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Said inhabitant bounded out happily, stretching languidly. “Ahhhh, freedom feels so good…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakamoto growled impatiently. “Now, where’re the girl and the exit, you monster cat?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>That got an immediate reaction, as the cat-thing bristled. “Don’t call me a cat! I am Morgana!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren looked back down the hallway, where the sound of boots hitting the floor was getting steadily louder, then looked at Morgana again. “Alright, Morgana, then. They’ll catch up to us at this rate, so let’s hurry this up.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A-alright! Follow my lead then, and stay quiet.” And with that, Morgana darted over to the raised drawbridge, thoroughly inspecting the Kamoshida bust next to it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The hell’re you doing?!” Hissed Sakamoto as he stalked over to the not-cat. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Trying to lower this bridge.” Said Morgana impatiently, before turning to Ren. “Hey, Frizzy Hair. You seem to pick up things much faster than Blondie here. Check out this thing’s mouth, I can’t reach it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Got it.” Said Ren before walking over to the bust sculpture, inspecting its mouth. “There’s no way…” Ren mused aloud before putting his hand in the statue’s mouth and pulling the lower jaw down, and was rewarded with a click as the jaw locked open in a near-comically perverted look while the eyes flowed yellow. As if on cue the bridge began to lower. “Oh now that’s just disgusting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“How were we supposed to know to do that?!” Sakamoto cried indignantly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hmph. Amateurs.” Morgana said haughtily. “Come on, we need to move.” He continued, before running across the bridge. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you know where the exit is, but how do you know how to find Yoshizawa-san?” Sakamoto asked, bringing up the rear of the group, well aware that he was the most vulnerable one among the three of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well… I don’t know where she is, but the guards almost certainly do. If we listen in on them, we might be able to learn where your friend is.” Morgana explained casually as he led them through the labyrinthine dungeons with a sense of nonchalance. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You wanna get </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> close to them?! That’s insane!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Would you rather search this whole place top to bottom for her instead?” Morgana fired back testily. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I take it that’s the only way to find her?” Ren interjected before the tension between the two could rise further. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, we could try to fight them and force the information out of them, but that would be a last resort.” Morgana explained, seeming to settle down with something else to hold his focus. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think the first option is much better than that.” Ren commented dryly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As fate would have it, the choice would be taken away from them, as they rounded a corner just in time to run into a guard that was exiting a doorway. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Sakamoto’s panicked scream barely registered to Ren as he felt that strange power well up within him, and blue fire washed over him again - though he barely noticed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Very well. If this place would not be so accommodating, then he’d simply respond in kind, and go all out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana’s voice drew him out of his reverie as the guard liquefied like the ones in the cell had, though this one took longer to re-form. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can fight right? This is our chance. I’ll take the lead, but make sure to leave one alive.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Understood. I’ll follow your lead.” Ren responded, taking a combat stance as his dagger formed in his grip, not taking his eyes off the inky puddle swirling on the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana smirked. “Good. Don’t fall behind.” He then also focused on the guard. “Come, Zorro!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The hallways were quite suddenly bathed in blue light as an ethereal man formed behind Morgana, dressed in a black suit and mask, with nearly comically large arms and chest, comically small legs, and a rapier of similar proportions to the legs. True to his name, Zorro completed his summoning with his signature “Z” cut. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As if on cue, the viscous black fluid exploded upwards, forming three entities: one of the Jack-O-Lanterns from before, a pretty wimpy-looking red-skinned demon with a rather suggestive spike between its legs, and a fairy of some kind wearing a blue leotard. The three entities swiftly spread out in a half-circle around the two of them. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana cut them off before they could strike first, dashing out to meet them as a scimitar materialized in his grip. “Zorro!” he commanded even as he struck at the fairy with a rising slash that carried him up into the air, followed by a descending slash as he fell back to the ground. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Following the unspoken command, Zorro turned towards the pumpkin head and flicked his sword outwards, launching an explosive blast of wind at it, which struck head on, knocking the thing to the floor. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With Morgana occupied, Ren focused on the demon so as to cover him. “Arsène! Ravage them!” He commanded as his mask disintegrated, allowing Arsène to reform once more. Wasting no time, the great thief swung his hand outwards towards the demon, launching a ball of concentrated curses at it whilst Ren charged in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The demon was barely even stunned however, dodging out of the way of Ren’s follow-up strike. Ren’s cry of alarm was swiftly turned to one of pain as it raked its talon’s across Ren’s chest, drawing blood. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not too far away, the fairy recovered from the strikes from Morgana and fired a bolt of lightning at him, earning a pained mewl as he was knocked to the ground, convulsing. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren hissed as he hopped back, his Persona linking up with him. “Eiha!” He commanded, dashing back in at the demon whilst Arsène knocked the fairy to the ground with a ball of curses. The demon evaded the first strike from Ren, but was caught by a claw as Arsène rematerialized to assist. A final stroke of the dagger was enough to finish off the demon. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Turning his attention to the still-dazed fae, he nodded to Arsène, who grasped the tiny thing tightly in its clawed hand and lifted it into the air. The unchanging face of the great thief seemed to gloat momentarily, before concentrated curses gathered in its hand, completely dissolving the fairy in an instant. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana shook himself and hopped up to his feet, turning his attention to the dazed pumpkin on the floor. “Don’t kill the pumpkin guy, we still need him.” He commanded, shaking himself once more before calling Zorro forth once more, who stood over the remaining shadow with his sword pointed down at it threateningly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren nodded. “Right. I understand.” Nodding to Arsène once more, the red-clad Persona joined Zorro, standing behind the shadow with claws poised to strike, then ran over along with Morgana to complete the surrounding maneuver, adding dagger and cutlass to rapier and claw. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Whoa! Hee hey! Let’s all calm down here, ho!”</b>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell?! That thing can actually talk?!” Sakamoto’s voice drew Ren’s attention to him briefly, where the blonde stood peeking around the corner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It would seem so. Trust me, I’m as confused as you are about this.” Ren commented dryly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What the hell man…” the blonde muttered as he made his way over. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll let you take the lead on this one, Frizzy Hair.” Morgana commented, quietly reminding the two of the present situation. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay.” He turned his attention fully to the jack o lantern. “Where is the third intruder that was captured today? The girl with the red hair?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Hee-ho, why d’you wanna know that? King Kamoshida will just kill you anyways, ho!</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s welcome to try, but I think you should be more worried about yourself if you’re not going to tell us what we want to know.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <b>Alright! She’s in a special cell, ho! Second floor, west wing, past the trophy room, hee-ho.</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana spoke up. “Thanks. Now it’s time for you to go to hell.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even with the unchanging expression, it was clear by the way it shook that the pumpkin started panicking when it heard that. “</span>
  <b>Wait! Won’t you please let me go, hee?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe it was the childlike voice it spoke with, or perhaps something about how it pleaded made Ren hesitate. He glanced at Morgana briefly before lowering his dagger. Arsène vanished and the mask appeared on his face again. “Fine. Get out of here, and don’t come back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t be serious!” Sakamoto protested… from the safe, safe distance of over twenty feet away. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The jack o lantern hopped… erm, floated back up. “</span>
  <b>Thank you, hee-ho! I won’t forget this!</b>
  <span>” It then suddenly stopped, as though realizing something. “</span>
  <b>Huh? Something’s changing…?</b>
  <span>”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Morgana readied his cutlass. “What the…?! What’s happening?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Shadow jolted, as though it had just been shocked. “</span>
  <b>Oh, I remember now! I don’t work for King Kamoshida! I’m a wanderer from the Sea of Souls! I’m Pyro Jack, hee-ho. I’m barred from hell, so I guess I’ll have to be your mask instead, ho!</b>
  <span>” Without waiting for further input, Pyro Jack converted into energy, which then flowed into Ren’s mask. </span>
</p>
<p><span>Ren staggered back, a pained gasp escaping him as he gripped his head with one hand. This pain was much like what he’d experienced when Arsène had first appeared, though this time it felt like </span><em><span>another life</span></em> <em><span>was being hammered into his head</span></em><span>. Ren suddenly lost balance, and collapsed against the nearby wall, panting for breath as the pain finally ceased. </span></p>
<p>
  <span>“Whoa, are you okay man?!” Sakamoto asked, finally coming over, looking genuinely concerned. Morgana seemed more confused than anything else, Ren noted. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’m fine. I just wasn’t expecting that…” Slowly, Ren straightened himself and stepped forward. “I feel fine now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen anything like that… what just happened?!” Morgana finally voiced his thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know Morgana. It definitely isn’t hurting me, but… I feel like there’s a new power within me.” Ren said slowly, looking down at his hands. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ve never seen anyone pull off something like that before. I’m not sure what you just did, but that will almost certainly be helpful for getting your friend out of here.” Morgana looked like something else was on his mind, but Ren didn’t probe him about it. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know, I think you’re right.” Ren said, the mention of Yoshizawa getting him focused once more. “Now then, we know where we’re going yes?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A nod. “That’s right. I know where the trophy room is, so I’ll take you there. Follow me.” Morgana didn’t wait for acknowledgement before running down the hallway, heading once more to the dungeon’s exit. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Ren and Sakamoto were right behind him, eager to leave this place, and Ren in particular being especially eager. The next objective: free Kasumi Yoshizawa. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And there we have it. Truth be told, I’m not entirely proud of the prison sequence before Arsène’s awakening. Personally, I felt I could have done much better, but I struggled with it a lot, so ultimately I decided to leave it as is. I hope that it doesn’t come off as awkward or clumsy to you all as it does to me. Admittedly, I could have skipped it and had Kasumi separated immediately, but I wanted to have her there for the parts she was present for. That aside, I tried to cut down a lot on canon dialogue, which makes me quite nervous, so I hope I did a good job portraying everyone and not leaving anyone out too much. The last scene in particular took a while because I wasn’t sure where I wanted to cut it, how I wanted the fight to go, and if or how I wanted to go about Ren’s Wild Card ability surfacing. I ultimately decided to keep it because it was the first Hold Up - if unorthodox - and also because it was just something different. I considered having Pixie again be the first new Persona, but decided to go with Jack O Lantern since it would mess with Ryuji’s awakening. I also was originally planning to do a lot more this chapter, but when I saw how long it got, I decided to cut it more or less in half, and next chapter should finish everything else I have planned. I would say I’ll get the next chapter out soon, but as mentioned last time, I’ll still be quite inconsistent due to college, so I apologize for that. As always, I appreciate feedback. Thank you all once again for the feedback and support, and thank you again for reading!</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>So there it is, the first chapter, I hope you all enjoyed. Again, I would appreciate feedback. Also, I apologize if the writing throughout this chapter seems... inconsistent, as I wrote this incrementally across several weeks, so the quality and style might fluctuate throughout. As a heads up, updates on this will likely be quite slow, as college stuff takes up a lot of time. Still, I’ll attempt to upload as often as I can, so I ask that you please be patient. Thanks again for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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